Green Bean Casserole

Name: Green Bean Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 tbsp olive oil; 16 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick; 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce; 4 clove garlic cloves, minced; 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems; 0.25 cup all-purpose flour; 3 cup whole milk, at room temperature; 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard; 0.5 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese; 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1.5 cup crispy French fried onions

From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole with Mushroom Cream

Skip the canned soup and make this holiday favorite the way it should be — with fresh green beans, deeply browned mushrooms, and a silky homemade cream sauce. The mushrooms get cooked until all their moisture evaporates, concentrating their flavor into something far richer than any store-bought version could offer.

AmericanSide DishVegetarianGluten FreeComfort FoodHolidayBaking

Prep20 min

Cook40 min

Total1 hr

Servings8

Difficultymedium

Ingredients

1½ lbfresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbspolive oil
16 ozcremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 tbsptamari or soy sauce
4 clovegarlic cloves, minced
2 tbspfresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
¼ cupall-purpose flour
3 cupwhole milk, at room temperature
1½ tspDijon mustard
½ cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
1½ cupcrispy French fried onions

Instructions

Get your oven to 400°F and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish well. This prevents the cheese from sticking and makes cleanup much easier.
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a rolling boil. While it heats, prepare a bowl of ice water large enough to hold all the green beans — this stops the cooking instantly.
Drop the green beans into the boiling water and cook for exactly 4 minutes. They should be bright green and just tender-crisp when you bite one. Drain immediately and plunge into the ice water.
⏱ 4 min
Once the beans are completely cool, drain them thoroughly and spread on clean kitchen towels. Pat them dry — any excess water will make the casserole watery.
Warm the olive oil in your largest skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer if possible and let them cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then stir. Continue cooking until they're golden brown and have released most of their moisture, 8-10 minutes total.
⏱ 9 min
Add the tamari, garlic, and thyme to the mushrooms and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Sprinkle the flour evenly over everything and stir to coat completely — this prevents lumps in your sauce.
Pour in the milk and mustard, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 15-20 minutes. Don't let it boil hard or it might curdle.
⏱ 17 min 30 sec
Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning — the sauce should be well-seasoned since it needs to flavor all those beans.
Spread one-third of the mushroom sauce across the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Arrange the green beans evenly on top, then pour the remaining sauce over them, making sure to coat everything.
Scatter the fried onions evenly over the top and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 10 minutes to heat everything through and let the flavors meld.
⏱ 10 min
Remove the foil and continue baking until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the onions are golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving so the sauce can thicken slightly.
⏱ 10 min